May 13, 2012

My silent HTPC - Part 2

So the day finally arrived! Actually, it did last week-end, but I've not had any free time until now. I had to do the classic "hardware shoot":

Nice, huh? Not much to say about the different items packaging really, it's all pretty standard. Except maybe for the heatpipes and CPU block of the Streacom FC5 chassis:

That's what I like to see, well-protected from rough handling in shipping. The printed instructions could have been better, but there's a more in-depth manual with the chassis as well.

So far I learned that the optical drive uses a special kind of SATA connector, a slim-line SATA where the power and data connector are together on one connector. I don't have one like that, so I had to order one now. I guess it applies to more slim-line drives than the Sony BC-5600S - so watch out.